section one · web viewtable of contents section one general information and requested services4...

INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF CHILD SERVICES

Request for Proposal 10000183

Solicitation For:Healthy Families Indiana

Response Due Date: April 173, 2020

Indiana Department of Child ServicesDCS Child Welfare Services

302 W. Washington St., Room E306Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

Table of ContentsSECTION ONE GENERAL INFORMATION AND REQUESTED SERVICES........4

1.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................41.2 DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS.....................41.3 PURPOSE OF THE RFP.................................61.4 SUMMARY SCOPE OF WORK............................6

1.4.1 Respondent Requirements...............................61.5 RFP OUTLINE.........................................61.6 PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE..........................71.7 QUESTION/INQUIRY PROCESS..........................81.8 DUE DATE FOR PROPOSALS............................81.9 MODIFICATION OR WITHDRAWAL OF OFFERS............81.10 PRICING..............................................91.11 PROPOSAL CLARIFICATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS, AND

CONTRACT DISCUSSIONS..............................91.12 RESERVED............................................91.13 REFERENCE SITE VISITS...............................91.14 TYPE AND TERM OF CONTRACT.........................91.15 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.........................91.16 TAXES...............................................101.17 PROCUREMENT DIVISION REGISTRATION...............101.18 SECRETARY OF STATE REGISTRATION..................101.19 COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION.........................111.20 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMITMENT...................111.21 MINORITY & WOMEN’S BUSINESS ENTERPRISES RFP

SUBCONTRACTOR COMMITMENT (MWBE)..............111.22 RESERVED...........................................131.23 AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT...................131.24 SUMMARY OF MILESTONES...........................131.25 RESERVED ..........................................141.26 CONFLICT OF INTEREST..............................14

SECTION TWO PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS................................15

2.1 GENERAL............................................152.2 TRANSMITTAL LETTER................................16

2.2.1 Statement of Agreement................................162.2.2 Summary of Ability and Desire to Supply Healthy Family Indiana Services....................................................162.2.3 Signature of Authorized Representative...................162.2.4 Respondent Notification................................172.2.5 Confidential Information................................17

Request For Proposal, of 26

2.2.6 Contract Terms/Clauses................................172.2.7 Other Information.....................................17

2.3 PROVIDER NARRATIVE AND SERVICE NARRATIVE........172.4 BUDGET WORKSHEETS...............................182.5 RATES...............................................18

SECTION THREE PROPOSAL EVALUATION...................................................................19

3.1 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCEDURE..................193.2 EVALUATION CRITERIA...............................19

3.2.1 Minority (5 points) & Women's Business (5 points) Subcontractor Percentage Commitment - (10 points)...............20


SECTION ONEGENERAL INFORMATION AND REQUESTED SERVICES

1.1 INTRODUCTION

The Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS), in accordance with its State Plan requires multiple vendors to provide Healthy Family Indiana education and prevention services across seven Regions covering the State of Indiana’s 92 counties. Healthy Families Indiana (HFI) is a voluntary evidence-based home visitation program that is designed to promote healthy families and healthy children through a variety of services including child development, access to health care, and parent education. The Regions and included counties are listed below. It is the intent of DCS to solicit responses to this Request for Proposals (RFP) in accordance with the statement of work, proposal preparation section, and specifications contained in this document. This RFP is a competitive process for providers who are accredited by Healthy Families America. This RFP is being posted to the DCS website (https://www.in.gov/dcs/3151.htm) for downloading. Neither this RFP nor any response (proposal) submitted hereto are to be construed as a legal offer.

Region 1: Lake, Porter, La Porte, St. Joseph, Elkhart, Marshall, Starke, Pulaski, Jasper, NewtonRegion 2: Adams, Allen, Blackford, DeKalb, Delaware, Grant, Huntington,

Jay, Kosciusko, La Grange, Madison, Noble, Randolph, Steuben, Wayne, Wells, Whitley

Region 3: Benton, Warren, Fountain, White, Tippecanoe, Carroll, Clinton, Cass, Fulton, Howard, Tipton, Miami, Wabash

Region 4: Hamilton, Hancock, MarionRegion 5: Boone, Brown, Clay, Greene, Hendricks, Lawrence, Monroe,

Montgomery, Morgan, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion, Vigo

Region 6: Bartholomew, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Harrison, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Ohio, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Switzerland, Union, Washington

Region 7: Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Orange, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick

1.2 DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS

Following are explanations of terms and abbreviations appearing throughout this RFP. Other special terms may be used in the RFP, but they are more localized and defined where they appear, rather than in the following list.


https://www.in.gov/dcs/3151.htm

Award Recommendation

IAC

Indiana Department of Child Services’ summary to the agency being supported, typically in letter format, of the solicitation and suggestion on respondent selection for the purposes of beginning contract negotiations.

Indiana Administrative Code


IC

Contract Award

Indiana Code

The acceptance of Indiana Department of Child Services’ Award Recommendation by the agency being supported in conjunction with the public posting of the Award Recommendation.

VSC Valuable Scope Contribution – A business function that supports the scope of this solicitation

Full Time Equivalent (FTE)

The State defines FTE as a measurement of an employee's productivity when executing the scope of work in this RFP for a specific project or contract. An FTE of 1 would mean that there is one worker fully engaged on a project. If there are two employees each spending 1/2 of their working time on a project that would also equal 1 FTE

Implementation

The successful implementation of Healthy Family Indiana Services as specified in the contract resulting from this RFP

Installation The delivery and physical setup of products or services requested in this RFP

Other Governmental Body

An agency, a board, a branch, a bureau, a commission, a council, a department, an institution, an office, or another establishment of any of the following: 1)The judicial branch 2)The legislative branch 3)A political subdivision (includes towns, cities, local

governments, etc.)4)A State educational institution

Products Tangible goods or manufactured items as specified in this RFP

Proposal An offer as defined in IC 5-22-2-17

Respondent An offeror as defined in IC 5-22-2-18. The State will not consider a proposal responsive if two or more offerors submit a joint or combined proposal. One entity or individual must be clearly identified as the respondent who will be ultimately responsible for performance of


the contract

Services Work to be performed as specified in this RFP

State The State of Indiana

State Agency As defined in IC 4-13-1, “State Agency” means an authority, board, branch, commission, committee, department, division, or other instrumentality of the executive, including the administrative, department of State government

Vendor Any entity or person who does business with the State and is registered as same.

1.3 PURPOSE OF THE RFP

The purpose of this RFP is to select Healthy Families Indiana (HFI) providers that can satisfy DCS’ need for the provision of prevention services to all 92 counties. HFI is a voluntary program designed to promote healthy families and healthy children through an evidence based home visiting service. Organizations must be in compliance with local and State requirements, as well as be nationally accredited with Healthy Families America (HFA).

Respondents are expected to propose services in accordance with the Healthy Families America accreditation standards. Respondents should ensure the program and cost are outlined in detail in their submitted Provider Narrative, Service Narrative, Actual Cost Report(s), and Budget Worksheet(s). Services shall be provided in accordance to the HFA Critical Elements, HFI Service Definitions, Sample Contract, and Principles of Child Welfare Services as described in Attachments A, J, E, and F respectively.

1.4 SUMMARY SCOPE OF WORK

Providers chosen will be expected to provide services in a manner that is consistent with the HFA Critical Elements (Attachment A), Sample Contract (Attachment E), and HFI Service Definitions (Attachment J). The Healthy Families America approach includes a series of service elements that have been identified through research as associated with desirable family outcomes. These are known as the “Critical Elements” for effective home visitor services to comply with national standards. These specifications include but are not limited to length, quality and type of service,


qualifications of staff, documentation requirements, as well as program reports and evaluation.

Healthy Families Indiana (HFI) is a voluntary multi-faceted home visitation program locally designed to promote healthy families and healthy children through services that include child development, access to health care, parent education, family incentives, staff training, and community coordination and education. The program model includes screening, assessment and home visiting activities that begin for eligible families either prenatally or at the time of birth.

1.4.1 Respondent Requirements

Respondents to this RFP must be accredited by Healthy Families America.

1.5 RFP OUTLINE

The outline of this RFP document is described below:

Section DescriptionSection 1 – General Information and Requested Services

This section provides an overview of the RFP, general timelines for the process, and a summary of the services being solicited by the Indiana Department of Child Services via this RFP

Section 2 – Proposal Preparation Instructions

This section provides instructions on the format and content of the RFP including a Transmittal Letter, Provider Narrative, and Service Narrative

Section 3 – Proposal Evaluation

This section discusses the evaluation criteria to be used to evaluate respondents’ proposals

Attachment A HFA Critical ElementsAttachment B KidTraks Provider User GuideAttachment C Provider Narrative Template Attachment D Service Narrative Template Attachment E Sample ContractAttachment F Principles of Child Welfare ServicesAttachment G Assurances


Attachment H M/WBE Participation Plan FormAttachment I Q&A Template Attachment J HFI Service DefinitionsAttachment K Budget WorksheetAttachment L Actual Cost ReportAttachment M Estimated County Allocation Funds

1.6 PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

A pre-proposal conference will be held at the date, time, and location specified in Section 1.24 Summary of Milestones. At this conference, potential respondents may ask questions about the RFP and the RFP process. Respondents are reminded that no answers issued verbally at the conference are binding on the State and any information provided at the conference, unless it is later issued in writing, also is not binding on the State. Attendance at this conference is optional and not a prerequisite to submission of an RFP response.

Note the conference will also be livestreamed and recorded for interested potential Respondents who are unable to attend in person. The livestream and recording of the conference can be found here: https://Indiana.AdobeConnect.com/indiana. Those interested in this option can test their connections by visiting: https://indiana.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm.

1.7 QUESTION/INQUIRY PROCESS

All questions/inquiries regarding this RFP must be submitted by the date and time outlined in Section 1.24 Summary of Milestones. Questions/Inquiries may be submitted in Attachment I, Q&A Template, via email to [email protected] and must be received by the time and date indicated above.

The subject line of the email submissions must clearly state the following: “RFP 10000183 Questions/Inquiries – [INSERT PROVIDER NAME]”.

Following the question/inquiry due date, DCS personnel will compile a list of the questions/inquiries submitted by all Respondents. The responses will be posted to the DCS website according to the RFP timetable established in Section 1.24. The question/inquiry and answer link will become active after responses to all questions have been compiled. Only answers posted on the


https://indiana.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

https://indiana.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

https://Indiana.AdobeConnect.com/indiana

DCS website will be considered official and valid by the State. No Respondent shall rely upon, take any action, or make any decision based upon any verbal communication with any State employee.

Inquiries are not to be directed to any staff member of DCS or any other participating agency. Such action may disqualify Respondent(s) from further consideration for a contract resulting from this RFP.

If it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, or if additional information is necessary for a clearer interpretation of provisions of this RFP prior to the due date for proposals, an addendum will be posted on the DCS website. If such addenda issuance is necessary, DCS may extend the due date and time of proposals to accommodate such additional information requirements, if required.

1.8 DUE DATE FOR PROPOSALS

To be considered, proposals must be submitted electronically through the Proposal Portal by the date and time specified in Section 1.24 Summary of Milestones.

Any proposal not submitted electronically by the date and time specified in Section 1.24 Summary of Milestones will NOT be considered.

1.9 MODIFICATION OR WITHDRAWAL OF OFFERS

Modifications to responses to this RFP may only be made in the manner and format consistent with the submittal of the original response, acceptable to the Indiana Department of Child Services and clearly identified as a modification.

The Respondent’s authorized representative may withdraw the proposal, in person, prior to the due date. Proper documentation and identification will be required before the Indiana Department of Child Services will release the withdrawn proposal. The authorized representative will be required to sign a receipt for the withdrawn proposal.

Modification to, or withdrawal of, a proposal received by the Indiana Department of Child Services after the exact hour and date specified for receipt of proposals will not be considered.

1.10 PRICING

Pricing on this RFP must be firm and remain open for a period of not less than 180 days from the proposal due date. Any attempt to attach caveats to


pricing or submit pricing that deviates from the current format will put your proposal at risk.

Please refer to Section 2.4: Budget Worksheets and Section 2.5: Rates for more information on this RFP’s requirements.

1.11 PROPOSAL CLARIFICATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS, AND CONTRACT DISCUSSIONS

The State reserves the right to request clarifications on proposals submitted to the State. The State also reserves the right to conduct proposal discussions, either oral or written, with Respondents. These discussions could include request for additional information, request for provider or service narrative revision, etc. Additionally, in conducting discussions, the State may use information derived from proposals submitted by competing respondents only if the identity of the respondent providing the information is not disclosed to others. The State will provide equivalent information to all respondents which have been chosen for discussions. Discussions, along with negotiations with responsible respondents may be conducted for any appropriate purpose.

The Department of Child Services or its appointed representatives will initiate and facilitate all discussions. Any information gathered through oral discussions must be confirmed in writing.

A sample contract is provided in Attachment E. It is the State’s expectation that any material elements of the contract will be substantially finalized prior to contract award.

1.12 RESERVED

1.13 REFERENCE SITE VISITS

If awarded a Contract, the Contractor will consent to annual visits by the Healthy Families Indiana Quality Assurance contractor and/or any visits requested by DCS. This will include, but is not limited to an onsite visit where the organization’s quality assurance plan is assessed by the contractor for review and feedback. Such site visits aid the organization in maintaining compliance with Healthy Families America and HFI.


1.14 TYPE AND TERM OF CONTRACT

The State intends to sign a contract with multiple Respondent(s) to fulfill the requirements in this RFP. Please see Attachment E Sample Contract.

The term of the contract shall be for a period of two (2) years, beginning October 1, 2020 and ending September 30, 2022. There may be two (2) one-year renewals for a total of four (4) years at the State’s option.

1.15 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Respondents are advised that materials contained in proposals are subject to the Access to Public Records Act (APRA), IC 5-14-3 et seq., and, after the contract award, the entire RFP file may be viewed and copied by any member of the public, including news agencies and competitors. Respondents claiming a statutory exception to the APRA must indicate so in the Transmittal Letter. Confidential Information must also be clearly marked in a separate folder on any included CD-ROM. The Respondent must also specify which statutory exception of APRA applies. The State reserves the right to make determinations of confidentiality. If the Respondent does not identify the statutory exception, the Indiana Department of Child Services will not consider the submission confidential. If the State does not agree that the information designated is confidential under one of the disclosure exceptions to APRA, it may seek the opinion of the General Counsel for the Department of Child Services. Prices are not confidential information.

18-INF-06; Redaction of Public Procurement Documents Informal Inquiry

1.16 TAXES

Proposals should not include any tax from which the State is exempt.

1.17 PROCUREMENT DIVISION REGISTRATION

In order to submit a proposal, Respondents must be registered as a bidder with the Department of Administration, Procurement Division. Therefore, to ensure there is no delay in the award all Respondents are strongly encouraged to register prior to submission of their response. Respondents should go to www.in.gov/idoa/2464.htm.

1.18 SECRETARY OF STATE REGISTRATION

In order to submit a proposal, the Respondent will be required to register, and be in good standing, with the Secretary of State. The registration


http://www.in.gov/idoa/2464.htm

requirement is applicable to all limited liability partnerships, limited partnerships, corporations, S-corporations, nonprofit corporations and limited liability companies. Information concerning registration with the Secretary of State may be obtained by contacting:

Secretary of State of IndianaCorporation Division402 West Washington Street, E018Indianapolis, IN 46204(317) 232-6576www.in.gov/sos

NOTE: When you complete the proposal application, your agency’s legal name must match your registered name with the Secretary of State. If it does not and your agency is selected for a contract, the contract will be delayed until this is resolved. Before contracts are moved through the signature process, they must pass review by the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and Department of Revenue (DOR). If an agency that is accepted for a contract by DCS has unpaid unemployment insurance or unpaid taxes to the State, the contract will be held until these issues are resolved. Any issues must be resolved with DWD/DOR. It is extremely important that all agencies are aware of this review to prevent delays in the timely execution of the contract.

1.19 COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION

Responses to this RFP serve as a representation that it has no current or outstanding criminal, civil, or enforcement actions initiated by the State, and it agrees that it will immediately notify the State of any such actions. The Respondent also certifies that neither it nor its principals are presently in arrears in payment of its taxes, permit fees or other statutory, regulatory or judicially required payments to the State. The Respondent agrees that the State may confirm, at any time, that no such liabilities exist, and, if such liabilities are discovered, that State may bar the Respondent from contracting with the State, cancel existing contracts, withhold payments to setoff such obligations, and withhold further payments or purchases until the entity is current in its payments on its liability to the State and has submitted proof of such payment to the State. If, in an audit or review by the State, it is discovered that there is a non-compliance issue with either the service standard or the contract, the State may elect to impose a financial penalty.

1.20 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMITMENT

Pursuant to IC 4-13-16.5 and in accordance with 25 IAC 5, Executive Order 13-04 and IC 5-22-14-3.5, it has been determined that there is a reasonable


http://www.in.gov/sos

expectation of minority and women owned business enterprises subcontracting opportunities on a contract awarded under this RFP. Therefore, a contract goal of 8% for Minority Business Enterprises and 8% for Women Business Enterprises has been established and all respondents will be expected to comply with the regulation set forth in 25 IAC 5, Executive Order 13-04 and IC 5-22-14-3.5.

Failure to address these requirements may impact the evaluation of your proposal.

1.21 MINORITY & WOMEN’S BUSINESS ENTERPRISES RFP SUBCONTRACTOR COMMITMENT (MWBE)

In accordance with 25 IAC 5-5, the Respondent is expected to submit with its proposal a Minority & Women’s Business Enterprises RFP Subcontractor Commitment Form (Attachment H). The Form must show that there are, participating in the proposed contract, Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and Women Business Enterprises (WBE) listed in the Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises Division (MWBED) directory of certified firms located at http://www.in.gov/idoa/2352.htm.

If participation is met through use of respondents who supply products and/or services directly to the Respondent, the Respondent must provide a description of products and/or services provided that are directly related to this proposal and the cost and percentage of total bid amount of direct supplies for this proposal. Respondents must complete the Subcontractor Commitment Form in its entirety. All Respondents must utilize $100,000 for their “Total Bid Amount”. This “Total Bid Amount” is not intended to be a guarantee or reflection of actual contract value but rather is included for evaluation purposes. The Contractor will be held to their commitment percentage(s) rather than the estimated dollar amount(s).

Failure to meet these percentage goals will affect the evaluation of your Proposal. The Department reserves the right to verify all information included on the MWBE Subcontractor Commitment Form.

Prime Contractors must ensure that the proposed subcontractors meet the following criteria:

Must be listed on the IDOA Directory of Certified Firms, on or before the proposal due date

Prime Contractor must include with their proposal the subcontractor’s M/WBE Certification Letter provided by IDOA, to show current status of certification.

Each firm may only serve as one classification – MBE or WBE A Prime Contractor who is an MBE or WBE must meet



subcontractor goals by using other listed certified firms. Certified Prime Contractors cannot count their own workforce or companies to meet this requirement.

Must serve a Valuable Scope Contribution (VSC). The firm must serve a value-added purpose on the engagement, as confirmed by the State.

Must provide goods or service only in the industry area for which it is certified as listed in the directory at http://www.in.gov/idoa/2352.htm

Must be used to provide the goods or services specific to the contract

National Diversity Plans are generally not acceptable

MINORITY & WOMEN’S BUSINESS ENTERPRISES RFP SUBCONTRACTOR LETTER OF COMMITMENT (MWBE)

A signed letter(s), on company letterhead, from the MBE and/or WBE must accompany the M/WBE Subcontractor Commitment Form. Each letter shall state and will serve as acknowledgement from the MBE and/or WBE of its subcontract amount and percentage, a description of products and/or services to be provided on this project, and approximate date the subcontractor will perform work on this contract. The MBE and/or WBE subcontractor amount and subcontractor percentage is only based on the initial term of the contract, unless the products and/or services are needed beyond the initial term. Any products and/or services desired after the initial term will require separate negotiations between the prime contractor and subcontractor. The State may deny evaluation points if the letter(s) is not attached, not on company letterhead, not signed and/or does not reference and match the subcontract amount as a percentage of the “Total Bid Amount” and the anticipated period that the Subcontractor will perform work for this solicitation.

By submission of the Proposal, the Respondent acknowledges and agrees to be bound by the regulatory processes involving the State’s MWBE Program. Questions involving the regulations governing the MWBE Subcontractor Commitment Form should be directed to: Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises Division at (317) 232-3061 or http://www.in.gov/idoa/2352.htm.

MINORITY & WOMEN’S BUSINESS COMPLIANCE (MWBE)

If awarded the contract with M/WBE subcontractor percentage commitment participation, the Respondent is required to report payments made to M/WBE Division subcontractors under the Contract on a monthly basis using the online audit tool, commonly referred to as “Pay Audit.” The Contractor should also notify subcontractors that they must confirm payments received from Contractor in Pay Audit. The Pay Audit system can




be accessed on the IDOA webpage at: www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe/payaudit.htm

Further, a copy of each subcontractor agreement must be submitted to IDOA’s M/WBE Division within thirty (30) days of the effective date of this Contract. The contracts may be uploaded into Pay Audit, emailed to [email protected]; or mailed to MWBE Compliance 402 W. Washington Street, Indianapolis IN 46204. Failure to provide a copy of any subcontractor agreement or failure to meet these commitments could be considered a material breach of this Contract and result in sanctions per 25 IAC 5.

Any changes to this information during the term of the contract must be approved by MWBE Compliance at [email protected].

1.22 RESERVED

1.23 AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

The Respondent specifically agrees to comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq. and 47 U.S.C. 225).

1.24 SUMMARY OF MILESTONES

The following timeline is only an illustration of the RFP process. The dates associated with each step are not to be considered binding. Due to the unpredictable nature of the evaluation period, these dates are commonly subject to change. At the conclusion of the evaluation process, all Respondents will be informed of the evaluation team’s findings.

Key RFP DatesActivity Date

Issue of RFP February 28. 2020

Pre-Proposal Conference

March 9, 20209:00AM – 10:30AM EST

Indiana Government Center South (IGCS) Conference Room

22

Deadline to Submit Written Questions March 10, 2020by 3:00 PM Eastern Time

Response to Written Questions/RFP Addendum March 18, 2020


mailto:[email protected]


http://www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe/payaudit.htm

Submission of Proposals April 173, 2020by 3:00 PM Eastern Time

The dates for the following activities are target dates only. These activities may be completed earlier or later than the date shown.

Proposal Evaluation April 2020 – May 2020Proposal Discussions/Clarifications (if necessary) May 2020

Notification of Awards June 2020Preparation of Contracts June 2020 – July 2020Contract Start Date October 1, 2020

1.25 RESERVED

1.26 CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Any person, firm or entity that assisted with and/or participated in the preparation of this RFP document is prohibited from submitting a proposal to this specific RFP. For the purposes of this RFP “person” means a State officer, employee, special State appointee, or any individual or entity working with or advising the State or involved in the preparation of this RFP proposal. This prohibition would also apply to an entity who hires, within a one-year period prior to the publication of this RFP, a person that assisted with and/or participated in the preparation of this RFP.


SECTION TWOPROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

2.1 GENERAL

To facilitate the timely evaluation of proposals, a standard format for proposal submission has been developed and is described in this section. All Respondents are required to format their proposals in a manner consistent with the guidelines described below. Each item below must be addressed in the Respondent’s proposal. The proposal will be submitted electronically (See KidTraks Provider User Guide, Attachment B for instructions on electronic submission). Transmittal Letter: The Transmittal Letter must be in the form of a

letter and address each component under Section 2.2. The Respondent must indicate in their Transmittal Letter which counties they are proposing services for. The State encourages providers to serve only contiguous counties whenever possible. Only one Transmittal Letter should be completed regardless of how many counties the Respondent is proposing services for.

Provider Narrative: The Provider Narrative template must be followed (Attachment C). Only one Provider Narrative should be completed regardless of how many counties the Respondent is proposing services for. This portion of the proposal allows the respondent to provide specific information regarding the history and structure of their organization.

Service Narrative: The Service Narrative template must be followed (Attachment D). The Respondent must indicate in their Service Narrative which counties they are proposing services for. The State encourages providers to serve only contiguous counties whenever possible. Only one Service Narrative should be completed regardless of how many counties the Respondent is proposing services for. However, the Respondent must submit a separate answer to Question 6 (County-Specific Information) in the Service Narrative Template for each county a Respondent submits a proposal for. This portion of the proposal allows the respondent to provide specific information regarding the proposed service.

Budget Worksheets: One budget must be completed for each county proposed (Attachment K). Respondents shall submit a budget that reflects the cost for one (1) year of service. The Budget Worksheets template (Attachment K) must be used.

Actual Cost Report: Respondents must submit one Actual Cost Report (Attachment L) for each county proposed, reflecting the program cost for Federal Fiscal Year 2019 (October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019). The Actual Cost Report template (Attachment L) must be used. If the Respondent did not operate a Healthy Families site for Federal Fiscal Year 2019 then the Respondent may submit a proposed budget using Attachment K only.


All of the submitted attachments should be submitted and uploaded as indicated in the KidTraks Provider User Guide, Attachment B. Proposals cannot be submitted electronically without the required attachment(s). All proposals must be submitted electronically no later than the date and time specified in Section 1.24 Summary of Milestones. Prior to submitting the proposal, it is vital that the proposal be reviewed to ensure that all required information is included.

Note: Respondents will submit only one proposal for all counties they are proposing services for, but could have multiple Budget Worksheets, Actual Cost Reports, and responses to Question 6 (County-Specific Information) in their Service Narrative if proposing to serve multiple counties. Please submit a Budget Worksheet (Attachment K), Actual Cost Report (Attachment L), and response to Question 6 (County-Specific Information) in the Service Narrative Template (Attachment D) for each proposed county.

[email protected] should be emailed if a provider experiences technical difficulty during the submission process. Only technical questions will be allowed. All other questions should be submitted as prescribed in the Q&A section above.

2.2 TRANSMITTAL LETTER

The Transmittal Letter must address the following topics except those specifically identified as “optional.”

2.2.1 Statement of Agreement

Statement of Agreement must identify what counties the Respondent is proposing services for and must include a statement confirming they will comply with the requirements described in HFA Critical Elements (Attachment A), Sample Contract (Attachment E), Principles of Child Welfare Services (Attachment F), Assurances (Attachment G), HFI Service Definitions (Attachment J), Purpose of RFP in Section 1.3, and Summary Scope of Work in Section 1.4 for the proposed counties. If the Respondent is proposing services for multiple counties, there must be a statement of agreement for each proposed county. The Respondent must explicitly acknowledge understanding of the general information presented in Section 1 and agreement with any requirements/conditions listed in Section 1.

2.2.2 Summary of Ability and Desire to Supply Healthy Family Indiana Services



The Transmittal Letter must briefly summarize the Respondent’s ability to supply prevention services that meet the requirements defined in this RFP for all counties the Respondent is proposing to provide services for. The letter must also contain a statement indicating the Respondent’s willingness to provide prevention services for all counties the Respondent is proposing to provide services for, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the RFP including, but not limited to, the State’s mandatory contract clauses.

2.2.3 Signature of Authorized Representative

A person authorized to commit the Respondent to its representations and who can certify that the information offered in the proposal meets all general conditions including the information requested in Section 2: Proposal Preparation Instructions must sign the Transmittal Letter. In the Transmittal Letter, please indicate the principal contact for the proposal along with an address, telephone, and fax number as well as an e-mail address, if that contact is different than the individual authorized for signature.

2.2.4 Respondent Notification

Unless otherwise indicated in the Transmittal Letter, Respondents will be notified via e-mail.

It is the Respondent’s obligation to notify the DCS Prevention Manager of any changes in any address that may have occurred since the origination of this solicitation. The DCS Prevention Manager will not be held responsible for incorrect respondent addresses.

2.2.5 Confidential Information

Respondents are advised that materials contained in proposals are subject to the Access to Public Records Act (APRA), IC 5-14-3 et seq. (see Section 1.15).

Provide the following information: List all documents, or sections of documents, for which

statutory exemption to the APRA is being claimed; Specify which statutory exception of APRA applies for each

document, or section of the document;


Provide a description explaining the manner in which the statutory exception to the APRA applies for each document or section of the document.

Provide a separate redacted (for public release) version of the document.

2.2.6 Contract Terms/Clauses

A sample contract that the State expects to execute with all successful Respondents is provided in Attachment E. All clauses in this contract are mandatory. A mandatory requirement for submitting a proposal is acceptance of all contract clauses in the Sample Contract (Attachment E). Respondents must indicate their acceptance of all contract clauses in the Transmittal Letter.

Any or all portions of this RFP and any or all portions of the Respondent’s response may be incorporated as part of the final contract.

2.2.7 Other Information

This item is optional. Any other information the Respondent may wish to briefly summarize will be acceptable.

2.3 PROVIDER NARRATIVE AND SERVICE NARRATIVE

The Provider Narrative (Attachment C) and Service Narrative (Attachment D) must utilize the provided templates. Each proposal will include one Provider Narrative along with one Service Narrative regardless of how many counties the Respondent is proposing services for. However, the Respondent must submit a separate answer to Question 6 (County-Specific Information) in the Service Narrative Template for each county a Respondent submits a proposal for.

The Provider Narrative will include information specific to the organization as a whole. The Service Narrative will outline the specific services to be delivered as well as indicate which counties the Respondent is proposing services for. The State encourages providers to serve only contiguous counties whenever possible. Proposals must identify and meet service components in the HFA Critical Elements (See Attachment A). Proposals must demonstrate the organizational and procedural structure that are necessary to deliver the services proposed.

The Provider Narrative and Service Narrative must be divided into the sections as outlined in Attachment C Provider Narrative Template and


Attachment D Service Narrative Template. Every point made in each section must be addressed in the order given. The same outline numbers must be used in the response. RFP language should not be repeated within the response.

Where appropriate, supporting documentation may be referenced by a page and paragraph number. If there are multiple references or multiple documents, these must be listed and organized for ease of use by the State.

2.4 BUDGET WORKSHEETS

The Budget Worksheets are required (Attachment K). Federal Selected Disallowed Expenses (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/pdf/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-part200.pdf) list all expenses that cannot be included in the budget.

One budget worksheet must be completed for each county proposed. Respondents shall submit a budget that reflects the cost for one (1) year of service. The Budget Worksheet template (Attachment K) must be used. Respondents shall submit an Actual Cost Report (Attachment L) reflecting the program cost for Federal Fiscal Year 2019 (October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019) for each county proposed. The Actual Cost Report template must be used. If Respondent did not operate a Healthy Families site for Federal Fiscal Year 2019 then Respondent may submit a proposed budget using Attachment K only.

2.5 RATES

DCS will set a standard unit rate for billable components for agencies during the contracting process. For estimated county allocations for Federal Fiscal Year 2020, see Attachment M.


https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/pdf/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-part200.pdf

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/pdf/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-part200.pdf

SECTION THREEPROPOSAL EVALUATION

3.1 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCEDURE

The State has selected a group of personnel to act as a proposal evaluation team. Subgroups of this team, consisting of one or more team members, will be responsible for evaluating proposals with regard to compliance with RFP requirements. All evaluation personnel will use the evaluation criteria stated in Section 3.2. Proposals will be evaluated by county, with each county’s evaluations occurring independently. The Director of the Indiana Department of Child Services or their designee will, in the exercise of their sole discretion, determine which proposals offer the best means of servicing the interests of the State. The exercise of this discretion will be final.

The procedure for evaluating the proposals against the evaluation criteria will be as follows:

3.1.1 Each proposal will be evaluated for adherence to mandatory requirements on a pass/fail basis. Proposals that are incomplete or otherwise do not conform to proposal submission requirements may be eliminated from consideration.

3.1.2 Each proposal will be evaluated on the basis of the categories included in Section 3.2. A point score has been established for each category. Proposals will be evaluated by county, with each county’s evaluations occurring independently.

3.1.3 Based on the results of this evaluation, the qualifying proposals determined to be the most advantageous to the State independently by county, taking into account all of the evaluation factors, may be selected by the Department of Child Services for further action, such as contract negotiations. If, however, the Department of Child Services decides that no proposal is sufficiently advantageous to the State, the State may take whatever further action is deemed necessary to fulfill its needs. If, for any reason, a proposal is selected and it is not possible to consummate a contract with the Respondent, the Department of Child Services may begin contract preparation with the next qualified Respondent(s) or determine that no such alternate proposal exists.

3.2 EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be evaluated based upon the proven ability of the Respondent to satisfy the requirements of the RFP in a cost-effective manner while


meeting the expectations for service provision outlined in HFA Critical Elements (Attachment A), Sample Contract (Attachment E), and HFI Service Definitions (Attachment J). Proposals will be evaluated by county, with each county’s evaluations occurring independently. Each of the evaluation criteria categories is described below with a brief explanation of the basis for evaluation in that category. The points associated with each category are indicated following the category name. If any one or more of the listed criteria on which the responses to this RFP will be evaluated are found to be inconsistent or incompatible with applicable federal laws, regulations or policies, the specific criterion or criteria will be disregarded and the responses will be evaluated and scored without taking into account such criterion or criteria.

Summary of Evaluation Criteria:Criteria Points

1. Adherence to Mandatory Requirements Pass/Fail

2. Provider Narrative Review 30 available points3. Service Narrative Review 40 available points 4. Minority Business Enterprise

Subcontractor Percentage Commitment

5 (1 bonus point is available, see Section 3.2.1)

5. Women Business Enterprise Subcontractor Percentage Commitment

5 (1 bonus point is available, see Section 3.2.1)

Total 80 (82 if bonus awarded)

All proposals will be evaluated using the following approach.

Step 1

In this step, proposals will be evaluated only against Criteria 1 to ensure that they adhere to Mandatory Requirements. Any proposals not meeting the Mandatory Requirements will be disqualified.

Step 2

The proposals that meet the Mandatory Requirements will then be scored based on Criteria 2 and 3 ONLY. This scoring will have a maximum possible score of 70 points. Proposals will be evaluated by county, with each county’s evaluations occurring independently. All proposals will be ranked by county on the basis of their scores for Criteria 2 and 3 ONLY. This ranking, of


separate or combined Criteria 2 and 3 scores, may be used to create a “short list”. Any proposal not making the “short list” will not be considered for any further evaluation.

Step 2 may include one or more rounds of proposal discussions, oral presentations, clarifications, demonstrations, etc. focused on other proposal elements. Step 2 may include additional “short lists”.

Step 3

The short-listed proposals will then be evaluated based on all the evaluation criteria outlined in the table above (by county, with each county’s evaluations occurring independently), including the following criteria:

3.2.1 Minority (5 points) & Women's Business (5 points) Subcontractor Percentage Commitment - (10 points).

The following formula will be used to determine points to be awarded based on the MBE and WBE percentage goals listed in Section 1.21 of this RFP. Scoring is conducted based on an assigned 10-point, plus possible 2 bonus-points, scale (MBE: Possible 5 points + 1 bonus point, WBE: Possible 5 points + 1 bonus Point). Points are assigned for respective MBE participation and WBE participation based upon meeting or exceeding the established commitment percentage goals. Commitments are scored only on the basis of commitment percentages. Information on commitment dollar amounts are collected solely for the purpose of validating commitment percentages.

If the respondent’s commitment percentage is less than the established MBE or WBE goal, the maximum points achieved will be awarded according to the following schedule:

% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8%Pts.

.625

1.25

1.875 2.5

3.125

3.75

4.375 5.0

NOTE: Fractional percentages will be rounded up or down to the nearest whole percentage. (e.g. 7.49% will be rounded down to 7% = 4.375 pts., 7.50% will be rounded up to 8% = 5.00 pts. Rounding will be calculated based on the Sub-Contract Amount, divided by the Total Bid Amount.)

If the respondent’s commitment amount is greater than $0 but the commitment percentage is rounded down to 0% for MBE or


WBE participation the respondent will receive 0 points.

If the respondent’s commitment amount is $0 and thus the commitment percentage is 0% for MBE or WBE participation, a deduction of 1 point will be discounted on the respective MBE or WBE score.

The respondent with the greatest applicable VSC percentage participation which exceeds the stated percentage goal (“exceeds” defined herein as a commitment percentage that is equal to or greater than 9% before rounding) for the respective MBE or WBE category will be awarded 6 points (5 points plus 1 bonus point). In cases where there is a tie for the greatest applicable VSC percentage participation and both firms exceed the percentage goal for the respective MBE/WBE category both firms will receive 6 points.

The Director of the Indiana Department of Child Services or their designee will, in the exercise of sole discretion, determine which proposal(s) offer the best means of servicing the interests of the State. The exercise of this discretion will be final. Recommendation by the Regional Service Councils may be considered when determining which proposals will be accepted to move forward in the contracting process. DCS reserves the right to contract with multiple respondents for the same service within the same county and Local Office. Selections are based on service and location needs and these may vary across the State.
